# Celine Halioua

> Celine Halioua is the founder and CEO of Loyal, a San Francisco biotech company developing the first FDA-approved drug for lifespan extension - starting with dogs. Born in Austin, Texas to a Moroccan mother and German father, she studied neuroscience at UT Austin and nanotechnology at Uppsala University before pursuing a DPhil at Oxford on the health economics of gene therapy. She left Oxford to join Laura Deming's Longevity Fund as Chief of Staff, then founded Loyal in 2019 at age 24. With $250M+ in total funding and the largest clinical trial ever conducted in animal health (1,300+ dogs across 70+ clinics), Loyal's lead drug LOY-002 has cleared FDA safety and efficacy hurdles - putting it on track to become the first longevity drug ever approved for any species.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Loyal
- **Organizations:** Loyal, The Longevity Fund, University of Oxford, University of Texas at Austin
- **From:** Austin, Texas, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Neuroscience (minor: German), University of Texas at Austin, Nanotechnology / Nanobiotechnology exchange, Uppsala University, D.Phil. Paediatrics (health economics of gene therapy, incomplete), University of Oxford (St Peter's College)
- **Known for:** Founded Loyal at age 24, now the leading canine longevity biotech company, Raised $250M+ in total funding including a $100M Series C in February 2026, Secured the first-ever FDA formal acceptance that a drug can target lifespan extension itself (no underlying disease required)

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Enrolled at University of Texas at Austin, studying Neuroscience
- **2014** — Summer fellowship at Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine (Dr. Evan Snyder lab); met terminal cancer patient John, crystallizing her commitment to longevity research
- **2015** — Research in Dr. Richard Morrisett and Dr. Keith Stevenson labs at UT Austin on fluorescent silver-nanocluster-based neuronal tracers
- **2015-2016** — Exchange studies in Nanotechnology at Uppsala University, Sweden
- **2017** — Began D.Phil. at University of Oxford, studying health economics of gene therapy
- **2018-2019** — Chief of Staff at The Longevity Fund, working with Laura Deming
- **2019** — Founded Loyal; left Oxford D.Phil. to pursue it full-time
- **2021** — Photographed for Forbes; Loyal raises early-stage funding from Khosla Ventures, Bain Capital, First Round Capital, Valor Equity Partners
- **2023** — Loyal secures FDA first-ever formal acceptance that a drug can be developed for lifespan extension itself; named in Forbes coverage
- **2024** — Named 2024 Outstanding Young Texas Ex; speaks at SXSW and Aspen Ideas Festival; LOY-002 receives FDA efficacy acceptance (RXE); named to Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups list
- **2026** — Loyal raises $100M Series C led by age1; LOY-002 completes FDA safety and efficacy packages; company targeting FDA Expanded Conditional Approval submission; total funding exceeds $250M; STAY trial enrolls 1,300+ dogs across 70+ clinics

## Achievements

- Founded Loyal at age 24, now the leading canine longevity biotech company
- Raised $250M+ in total funding including a $100M Series C in February 2026
- Secured the first-ever FDA formal acceptance that a drug can target lifespan extension itself (no underlying disease required)
- LOY-002 has completed both FDA safety acceptance and efficacy acceptance (RXE) - two of three requirements for Expanded Conditional Approval
- Led the STAY clinical trial: 1,300+ dogs enrolled across 70+ vet clinics, the largest clinical trial ever conducted in animal health
- Named to Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups list
- Named 2024 Outstanding Young Texas Ex by the University of Texas Alumni Association
- Speaker at SXSW 2024 and Aspen Ideas Festival
- Built Loyal to 210+ employees across neuroscience, veterinary medicine, regulatory affairs, and operations

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Loyal raises $100M Series C led by age1 (Laura Deming's next-generation fund), with participation from Baillie Gifford; total funding exceeds $250M.
- **2026-02** — Loyal announces LOY-002 has completed all three major FDA requirements needed for Expanded Conditional Approval submission, planned for later in 2026.
- **2025-10** — Loyal featured in Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups list.
- **2025-02** — LOY-002 receives FDA preliminary efficacy acceptance (RXE), confirming efficacy package is on track.
- **2024-09** — Named 2024 Outstanding Young Texas Ex by UT Austin alumni association.

## Links

- Website: https://www.celinehh.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinehh
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/celinehalioua
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celineleahh/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/celine-halioua
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-27